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Tuesday, July 8, 2014

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks = Week #27; Wyatt Smith

This prompt comes from Amy Johnson Crow at her blog, No Story Too Small. She suggests we “write once a week about a specific ancestor. It could be a story, a biography, a photograph, a research problem — any that focuses on that one ancestor.”

He married Euseba Fortenberry, daughter of William Jasper
Fortenberry & Violette Kennington. In
1840 they were in Pike Co., MS with four children and 25 slaves.[3]
In 1850 they had seven children. Their farm was valued at $1,000.[4]
The 1860 census shows their location in Pike Co. as Holmesville. Neighbors
included other Smiths, Fortenberrys and Ellzeys.[5]
That year Wyatt owned ten slaves and had two slave houses.[6]

"These
two seemed to possess the traits of true democracy and that is 'work'. They
blazed the trail, built the stockade a quarter mile east of the present Silver
Springs Church. Besides rearing eight children of their own, they proved their
love for children by bringing up several orphan children, and counted them
their own."[7]

By
1870 the farm was valued at $3,000 and Wyatt’s personal estate at $1,400.Only
two children were still at home.[8]
In 1880 Wyatt was living with his son Adolphus and family. Son, Walter, and
family lived nearby.[9]

“24 Feb 1894 - Mr. Wyatt Smith, father of Dr. A S Smith of
Magnolia, died 16 Feb 1894 at the home of his son-in-law Rev. J N Fortinberry
at Smithburg, Pike County, 84 years 5 months 15 days. Member Silver Springs
Baptist Church. Interred in family burying ground beside wife who died 17 years
ago.”[10]

Wyatt
is buried in the Wyatt Smith Cemetery in Pike Co., MS.[11]
Several years ago my family and I visited the cemetery. We had to go through
private land to reach the cemetery. Trees and weeds were grown up around the
stones. Wyatt’s stone is broken. The top half was lying on the ground, covered
with dirt. I hope the stones there are still readable.

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